According to the findings of a recent study, a landslip in Greenland caused a mega-tsunami that left the Earth vibrating for nine days.
The researchers discovered that the collapse of a mountain peak that was 1.2 kilometres (0.7 miles) high in September of the previous year caused water in the fjord below to splash back and forth, which triggered vibrations that went all the way through to the crust of the Earth. This was the result of the mountain top falling.
According to the study’s findings, which included researchers from University College London (UCL), the glacier at the mountain’s base becoming thinner as a result of climate change was the cause. Both of these factors contributed to the phenomenon.
Researchers were “completely baffled” by the new phenomenon, which began above Dickson Fjord in east Greenland, according to Dr. Stephen Hicks, who was a co-author of the research. The phenomenon was seen in the region of Greenland.
Dr. Hicks, who is associated with the University College London Earth Sciences, made the statement. “This is the first time that water sloshing has been recorded as vibrations through the Earth’s crust, travelling the world over and lasting several days,” is what Dr. Hicks said.
In spite of the fact that seismometers are able to record a broad variety of sources that occur on the surface of the Earth, it has never been reported that a seismic wave that is so long-lasting, travels throughout the entire world, and only has a single frequency of oscillation has ever been recorded. That is something that has never been done before.
“Our study of this event amazingly highlights the intricate interconnections between climate change in the atmosphere, destabilisation of glacier ice in the cryosphere, movements of water bodies in the hydrosphere, and Earth’s solid crust in the lithosphere.”
To illustrate how the water splashing continued for a period of nine days, the researchers reproduced the angle of the landslip using a mathematical model. This allowed them to depict how the flooding continued.
According to this idea, the water would have splashed back and forth every ninety seconds, which would have caused vibrations to travel through the crust of the Earth and spread out throughout the entire world, culminating in one of the most destructive tsunamis in recent history. This theory was tested and shown to be accurate.
Researchers estimated that the wave went 10 kilometres (7.4 miles) across the fjord and ascended 110 meters into the air in the study that was published in the journal Science. The researchers’ findings were published in the journal Science. On the other hand, it was cut down to seven meters in a matter of some minutes.